At Christendom College, Fr. Tadeusz Pacholczyk to Address Modern Bioethical Questions

Jan. 25, 2012 - PRLog -- Speaker and bioethicist Fr. Tadeusz Pacholczyk will deliver a talk entitled, "The Science and Ethics of Stem Cells and Cloning," to the students and faculty at Christendom College on January 30, 2012, at 6:00 p.m. Part of the college's Major Speakers Program, the talk will examine the confusion surrounding these areas of research and the ethical guidance offered by the Catholic Church.

Fr. Pacholczyk is a priest of the diocese of Fall River, Mass. He is Director of Education for The National Catholic Bioethics Center in Philadelphia and directs the Center’s National Catholic Certification Program in Health Care Ethics.

As an undergraduate, he earned degrees in philosophy, biochemistry, molecular cell biology, and chemistry. He later earned a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Yale University, where he focused on cloning genes for neurotransmitter transporters, which are expressed in the brain. He worked for several years as a molecular biologist at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School.

Fr. Pacholczyk studied for 5 years in Rome where he did advanced work in dogmatic theology and in bioethics, examining the question of delayed ensoulment of the human embryo.

He has testified before members of the Massachusetts, Wisconsin, Virginia, and North Carolina State Legislatures during deliberations over stem cell research and cloning. He has given presentations and participated in round tables on contemporary bioethics throughout the US, Canada, and in Europe. He has done numerous media commentaries, including appearances on CNN International, ABC World News Tonight, and National Public Radio.

For more information about Fr. Pacholczyk and his work visit the National Catholic Bioethics Center website, http://www.ncbcenter.org/.

The talk will be held in the St. Lawrence Commons and will be followed by a reception.

Christendom College's Major Speakers Program is an important aspect of the academic life at the College, offering the students and community an opportunity for cultural, intellectual, and spiritual enrichment beyond the classroom. The program offers students the opportunity to gain greater insights and depth of understanding of important issues, and to interact personally with a wide range of men and women who are shapers and critics of our society.

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Christendom College is a four-year coeducational Roman Catholic Liberal Arts College with undergraduate and graduate programs offered on three campuses in Front Royal and Alexandria, Virginia, and Rome, Italy.